“No.” He takes me by the shoulders as Spence makes himself busy in the cabinet. Patting my ass, he turns me away. “The panties are so you can sleep at my place tonight. Jeans and sneakers are for now. Get changed. Stop being a pain.”
I cock my hip dangerously. “Spence, I’m going to shoothim. And I know the law, so I’ll tell the cops I shot him. Then your insurance people willhaveto get involved, and voila, no Christmas cards for you. Are you ready for that kind of backlash?”
“Bishop. We don’t bring mama drama in here.”
“She’s fine. She has like a Tourette’s thing, but with sass. She got it out of her system, so she’ll be good for an hour now.” I yelp and skip forward when he slaps my ass. “Go. We’re not playing, Jess. We have work to do, and you’re wasting time.”
“I don’t wanna shoot guns, Kane. I didn’t agree to this.”
“This is one of those things where I’m gonna have to insist. It’s for your own good. I need you to know how to look after yourself. As soon as you’re comfortable, we’ll start the process so you can carry your own. Christmas is coming, I’m getting you lifetime access to this place, and Spence will tell me if you’re not here at least once a week.”
“Spence will tell you? Where will you be?” My heart races at the implication in his tone. “Kane?” He pushes me toward the bathrooms. “Kane! Where will you be?”
Tenderness replaces the dark sparkle in his eyes. Leaning forward, he presses gentle lips to mine and his palm to my chest. “I’ll be here. But I need you to take this seriously. Please get changed. Please leave the sass in the bag. Come out ready to learn. This is important to me.”
* * *
Scratched glasses cover my eyes,ear muffs create waves in my head, and Kane’s strong chest presses to my back. Together, we stand in a booth and stare down a long room toward paper targets that hang from a pully system.
Kane’s strong arms wrap around mine, and positioning my fingers, he makes sure my pointer finger rests along the barrel.
Noton the trigger. Just like the neighbor said.
“I need you to aim, Jessie. Deep breaths. Clear your mind.”
“If someone’s shooting at me, my mind won’t be clear.”
“I know. That’s why we practice. You said you go to the gym with those fighters. You reckon the fighter’s giving his wife private lessons. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Muscle memory. Because someday she might need it, and instead of expecting her to remember the random classes she went to, he’s teaching her muscles. When you do something enough, you don’t even have to think about it. You don’t have to do anything. Your body will do it for you.” Sliding his hands along my arms, he backs away until they rest on my hips. “That’s why you froze with Lance. Self-defense lessons are useless unless you make it a way of life. Muscle memory. Ever gotten to work, sat at your desk and realized you have no fucking clue how you got there? You have no recollection of leaving the house, and yet, you’re dressed, your to-go cup is full of coffee, and you still have all your files and cell. Muscle memory. That’s what we’re doing here. We have three days, and that’s not enough, but it’s all we’ve got. Then when Abel’s deal has gone down, I want you to keep coming here. Spencer is a good guy. He’s an ex-army ranger. He’s grumpy a lot, but he knows what he’s doing. I want you to come back at least once a week. Every single week.”
“What if I don’t?”
“I’ll be really, really mad at you. Now focus. See your target?”
I nod.
“See it. You wanna aim for the big target, which is…”
“Chest?”
“Yeah, baby.” He brings his hand up to cup the back of my neck. “Exactly. Find the button on his shirt, the zipper, dog tags, whatever. Aim for that.”
“Why the button?”
“Because even if you miss, you’re still gonna get him in the chest. Get ready, baby. Aim. Breathe. When you’re ready, shoot.”
“Will it jump back and smack me in the face?”
“Did it the other day?”
“Well…” My arms shake. “No. But I was really mad then and didn’t think it all the way through.”
He squeezes my neck and chuckles. “It won’t recoil much. Stand strong, hold on tight, but don’t worry, it won’t come back and pop you in the face. It’ll be loud. Be prepared.”
“Okay.”